Quote Originally Posted by Dirt Girl
Hi Ladies!
One of my goals for the year is to participate in a duathlon this August. It's a 2 mile run/12 mile bike/ 2 mile run, and I did the biking leg in 2003 (on my mountain bike) as a favor to my friend who runs. Well, this year we are both going to go solo. My goal is to finish as I'm not much of a runner. Any tips on what to do in the next eight months to prepare myself? I will be on a road bike this year.

The course is almost all flat for the running but rolling and overall slightly downhill on the return for the ride.

And to show how much of a novice I really am at this (and how much I didn't pay attention the year I was there):
1. Do you wear bike shorts and run in them or go for the biking comfort and deal with the padded shorts for the run?
2. Do you take the time to change shoes or just wear running shoes, giving up the advantages of clipping in to the pedals?

Any help will be greatly appreciated!
Eight months is a long time to prepare for a duathlon. What are your goals? If it is only to finish, then it should be fairly easy. How often do you workout now? Most duathletes have similar training schedules with triathletes, without the swim. I did my first duathlon as part of my training for triathlon. How much do you run now? Go to trinewbies.com for training tips for beginners.

1. I wear trishorts - comfy enough on the bike, comfy enough on the run. Regular bike shorts are too thickly padded for the run.
2. I'm definitely faster with clipless pedals. Have someone teach you to mount and dismount your bike with the shoes attached to the bike. It makes transitions faster and you get maximum style points.